Pearl Hundred
Business

Business

10 African countries with the highest fuel prices in August 2026

When fuel prices rise, the first pain is frequently felt at the gas station. However, in many African countries, the influence extends beyond that.

Published 28 Aug, 12:00 · Pearl Hundred newsroom

10 African countries with the highest fuel prices in August 2026
Picture: Pearl Hundred picture desk.

"+e[p]);return}}g(k,c)}):d(9,f)},requireModules:g,requireOne:m,define:function(a,b){var c=D();if(!0!==l)null===c?w(49,""):w(49,D().getAttribute("src"));else{if(null!==c&&(c=c.getAttribute("src"),c in e)){e[c].setDefine(a,b);return}c=s.getActialLoading();u(c)?c in e?e[c].setDefine(a,b):d(46,c):q.push({deps:a,define:b})}}}}(),s=null,z=[],I=(new Date).getTime();t(window,"require",r,!1,27);t(window,"define",F,!1,28);t(r,"runnerBox",function(a){function b(a){x in a||(a[x]=m()); return a[x]}function g(){function a(){if(!0===b)for(;0 10s");g()},1E4)});"complete"===document.readyState&&(v(48,"isComplete"),g());"loaded"===document.readyState&&(v(48,"isLoaded"),k());l(document,"DOMContentLoaded",function(){v(48,"DOMContentLoaded");k();l(document.getElementsByTagName("body")[0],"pageshow",function(){v(48,"body pageshow");g()})});l(document,"readystatechange",function(){var a= "readystatechange - "+document.readyState;"complete"===document.readyState||"loaded"===document.readyState?(v(48,a+" - exec"),k()):v(48,a+" - noexec")})}function h(a){function b(a){var c=/^[\s\uFEFF\xA0]+|[\s\uFEFF\xA0]+$/g;return"function"===typeof a.trim?a.trim():null===a?"":(a+"").replace(c,"")}var c=a.getAttribute("data-static-amd-map");if("string"===typeof c){if(""===c)return{}}else return null;if("undefined"!==typeof JSON&&"function"===typeof JSON.parse)return JSON.parse(c);a=/(,)|(\[|{)|(}|])|"(?:[^"\\\r\n]|\\["\\\/bfnrt]|\\u[\da-fA-F]{4})*"\s*:?|true|false|null|-?(?!0\d)\d+(?:\.\d+|)(?:[eE][+-]?\d+|)/g; var d,e=null;return(c=b(c+""))&&!b(c.replace(a,function(a,b,c,f){d&&b&&(e=0);if(0===e)return a;d=c||b;e+=!f-!c;return""}))?Function("return "+c)():null}function l(a,b,c){a.addEventListener?a.addEventListener(b,c,!1):a.attachEvent("on"+b,c)}var e=D();if(null===e||!0!==d(e))for(var e=document.getElementsByTagName("script"),q=0;q const schemaOrgItemList = { "@type": "ItemList", "itemListElement": [] }; .image-wrapper{position:relative;display:inline-flex}.image-wrapper::after,.image-wrapper::before{background-image:var(--noscript-src);content:'';position:absolute;left:0;top:0;bottom:0;right:0;background-size:cover;background-repeat:no-repeat;background-position:center} window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; window.dataLayer.push({ content_id: "3g73j1c", content_type: "article", author: "Chinedu Okafor", content_accessibility: "free", content_category: "local", content_category2: "markets", lifetime: "time limited", publication_reason: "editorial", publication_date: "2026.08.28", source_type: "original", page_brand: "Business Insider Africa", page_country_code: "BI", page_language: "en", ai_written: "false", title: "10 African countries with the highest fuel prices in August 2026", wordCount: "443", pubdateTime: "2026-08-28T12:00:48", }); window.onappinstalled = function () { window.dataLayer.push({ event: "add-to-homescreen" }); }; window.addEventListener('message', message => { if (message.data.radpGA4Event) { window.dataLayer.push(message.data.radpGA4Event); } }); window.addEventListener("load", () => { document.querySelectorAll(".ring-detail-social-share").forEach((socialShareWidget) => { socialShareWidget.addEventListener('click', (event) => { if (event.target.tagName === 'A') { window.dataLayer.push({ event: "share", method: event.target.getAttribute("title").toLowerCase(), link_url: window.location.href }) } }) }) }) var pulse2EmbedConfig = { "pulsevideo": { "player": "flowplayer", "params": { "autoplayNext": true, "enableAds": false }, "plugins": [ { "script": "https://imasdk.googleapis.com/js/sdkloader/ima3.js" }, { "script": "https://embed.videos.ringpublishing.com/flowplayer/plugins/ads.min.js", "config": { "ima": { "ads": [ { "adTag": "https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/live/ads?iu=/53159133/Pulsegh_video_new_640x360&description_url=[placeholder]&tfcd=0&npa=0&sz=640x360&gdfp_req=1&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&env=vp&impl=s&correlator=", "time": 0 } ] } } }, { "script": "https://ocdn.eu/radp/js/radpGA4VideoEmbeds.js" } ] }, "OnettvVideo": { "MAIN_ELEMENT": { "preset": "mainVideoRADPGh", "enableGoogleAnalytics": 2, "volume": 0, "enableEndScreen": 1, "autoplayRelated": 1, "enableAds": 1, "adserverUrl": "https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/live/ads?iu=/53159133/Pulsegh_video_new_640x360&description_url=[placeholder]&tfcd=0&npa=0&sz=640x360&gdfp_req=1&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&env=vp&impl=s&correlator=", "floatingControls": 1, "embedType": "inTextVideo", "showAdvertComment": 1 }, "INTEXT": { "preset": "mainVideoRADPGh", "enableGoogleAnalytics": 2, "volume": 0, "enableEndScreen": 1, "autoplayRelated": 1, "enableAds": 1, "adserverUrl": "https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/live/ads?iu=/53159133/Pulsegh_video_new_640x360&description_url=[placeholder]&tfcd=0&npa=0&sz=640x360&gdfp_req=1&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&env=vp&impl=s&correlator=", "floatingControls": 1, "embedType": "inTextVideo", "showAdvertComment": 1 } }} var OneSignal = window.OneSignal || []; OneSignal.push(function() { OneSignal.SERVICE_WORKER_PARAM = { scope: '/push/onesignal/' }; OneSignal.SERVICE_WORKER_PATH = 'OneSignalSDKWorker.js' OneSignal.SERVICE_WORKER_UPDATER_PATH = 'OneSignalSDKUpdaterWorker.js' OneSignal.init({ requiresUserPrivacyConsent: !!(window.__tcfapi), appId: '07419cb6-42f8-45d3-a1e2-77a6ea5cf4b8', promptOptions: { slidedown: { prompts: [ { type: 'push', autoPrompt: true, text: { actionMessage: 'Don’t miss a thing! Get notifications for important news & events right in your browser', acceptButton: 'Allow', cancelButton: 'Cancel', }, delay: { pageViews: 3, timeDelay: 120, } } ] }, customlink: { enabled: true, style: 'button', size: 'medium', color: { button: '', text: '', }, text: { subscribe: 'ACTIVATE NOTIFICATION', unsubscribe: 'DEACTIVATE', explanation: 'Don’t miss a thing! Get notifications for important news & events right in your browser', }, unsubscribeEnabled: true, }, }, notifyButton: { enable: true, }, }); OneSignal.on('subscriptionChange', function(isSubscribed) { if (isSubscribed === true) { OneSignal.sendTags({ sub_cat: 'markets', }) } }); }); window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; OneSignal.push(() => { OneSignal.on('notificationPermissionChange', permissionChange => { let push_action = 'close'; if (permissionChange.to === 'granted') { push_action = 'allow' } else if (permissionChange.to === 'block') { push_action = 'block' } window.dataLayer.push({ event: 'manage_push', method: 'native prompt', push_action }) }); OneSignal.on('popoverAllowClick', () => { window.dataLayer.push({ event: 'manage_push', method: 'slide prompt', push_action: 'allow', }) }); OneSignal.on('popoverCancelClick', () => { window.dataLayer.push({ event: 'manage_push', method: 'slide prompt', push_action: 'block', }) }); OneSignal.on('popoverClosed', () => { window.dataLayer.push({ event: 'manage_push', method: 'slide prompt', push_action: 'close', }) }); const pushBox = document.querySelector('#pushBox'); if (pushBox) { pushBox.addEventListener('click', async (e) => { if (e.target.nodeName === 'BUTTON') { window.dataLayer.push({ event: 'manage_push', method: 'push subscription form', push_action: !await OneSignal.getSubscription() ? 'activate' : 'deactivate', }) } }) } document.querySelector('body').addEventListener('click', async (e) => { if (['subscribe-button', 'unsubscribe-button'].includes(e.target.id)) { window.dataLayer.push({ event: 'manage_push', method: 'bell prompt', push_action: !await OneSignal.getSubscription() ? 'activate' : 'deactivate', }) } }) }); // Extra configuration for articles & category pages let osTagsForPage = {"local":0,"markets":0}; function osUpdateTags(osTags) { OneSignal.push(function() { OneSignal.isPushNotificationsEnabled(function(isEnabled) { if (isEnabled) { OneSignal.sendTags(osTags).then(function(tagsSent) {}); } }); }); } if (typeof localStorage !== "undefined") { let osTags = {}; let localTags = getOSTags(); let tagsUpdated = false; for (key in osTagsForPage) { if (key in localTags) { if (!isNaN(localTags[key])) { localTags[key] = (localTags[key] + 1 || 1); osTags[key] = localTags[key]; tagsUpdated = true; } } else { osTags[key] = 1; tagsUpdated = true; } } localStorage.setItem('osTags', JSON.stringify(osTags)); if (tagsUpdated) { osUpdateTags(osTags); } function getOSTags() { return localStorage.getItem('osTags') ? JSON.parse(localStorage.getItem('osTags')) : []; } } (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start': new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'}); var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true; j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f); })(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-KWW8L9R'); (function () { var PUBLISHER_ID = 'businessinsiderafrica-businessinsiderafrica'; var PAGE_TYPE = 'article'; var LOADER_URL = '//cdn.taboola.com/libtrc/' + PUBLISHER_ID + '/loader.js'; var LOADER_PRIVACY_URL = '//static.tblcontent.com/libtrc/' + PUBLISHER_ID + '/loader.privacy.js'; var PIXEL_URL = 'https://static.qovani.com/libtrc/tr5?type=pixel&publisher=' + PUBLISHER_ID; var SCRIPT_ID = 'tb_loader_script'; window._taboola = window._taboola || []; var pageTypePush = {}; pageTypePush[PAGE_TYPE] = 'auto'; _taboola.push(pageTypePush); new Image().src = PIXEL_URL; var firstScript = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; function injectLoader(id, src, fallbackSrc) { if (document.getElementById(id)) return; var s = document.createElement('script'); s.async = true; s.src = src; s.id = id; if (fallbackSrc) { s.onerror = function () { if (s.parentNode) s.parentNode.removeChild(s); injectLoader(SCRIPT_ID + '_fb', fallbackSrc, null); }; } firstScript.parentNode.insertBefore(s, firstScript); } injectLoader(SCRIPT_ID, LOADER_URL, LOADER_PRIVACY_URL); if (window.performance && typeof window.performance.mark === 'function') { window.performance.mark('tbl_ic'); } })(); Markets Leaders Careers Lifestyle Markets Leaders Careers Lifestyle facebook twitter instagram linkedIn googleNews O World globe An icon of the world globe, indicating different international options." Business Insider Edition

Motorists line up at a gas station on the eve of a strike launched by the labour and civil society to force the government to revert to old fuel pump price, on January 8, 2012 in Lagos. [Photo credit should read PIUS UTOMI EKPEI/AFP via Getty Images] The global average petrol price rose from $1.49 per litre last month to $1.53 per litre this month. Rwanda was the only country on the list to record a marginal decline in petrol prices compared with last month. Petrol prices increased slightly in the Central African Republic, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Cape Verde, Uganda and Senegal. Malawi and Zimbabwe maintained the same prices, while Morocco entered the top 10, replacing Kenya ADVERTISEMENT Read Also markets Morocco’s phosphate giant plans $450 million US fertiliser plant, America’s first in more than 40 years markets After capturing Venezuela’s president, Trump secures 65 billion barrels of oil as US still buys $8 billion from 2 African nations markets World’s 8th-richest nation and Asia’s richest economy make a fresh move with Africa’s 2nd-largest economy, Egypt window._taboola = window._taboola || []; _taboola.push({ mode: 'thumbnails-mid-n', container: 'taboola-thumbnails-mid-1', placement: 'Thumbnails Mid 1', target_type: 'mix' }); A more expensive liter of fuel quickly adds to the expense of driving to work, transporting food to markets, and carrying commodities across towns and countries.

DON’T MISS THIS: Top 10 African countries with the lowest fuel prices in July 2026

For nations that rely largely on road transport, persistently high gasoline prices might become a major economic issue.

South Africa has recently demonstrated how critical gasoline costs may be to the whole economy.

As reported earlier, the country's annual inflation rate fell to 4.3% in July, with reduced gasoline costs contributing to a reduction in overall prices.

That was the first slowdown in five months and was below the 4.5% median forecast of economists surveyed by Reuters.

Lower fuel prices contributed most to the monthly moderation. The fuel component of South Africa’s consumer price index fell by 7.8% between June and July.

A higher gasoline price may have had the opposite effect on the country’s overall economic performance.

When gasoline gets more costly, drivers and transportation businesses face higher operating expenses.

These expenses are frequently passed on to customers in the form of increased tickets, delivery fees, and logistical expenditures.

For commuters, this means paying extra just to go to work, while firms have to deal with paying more to transport goods and/or services.

A farmer does not need to purchase gasoline directly for fuel costs to influence food prices.

Produce continues to be delivered from farms to wholesalers, marketplaces, and stores. Manufacturers also need to transport raw ingredients and completed goods.

In a nutshell, when more money is spent on transportation, there is less left over for food, rent, education, entertainment, and other necessities.

Compared to last month’s list, when the global average price of petrol was 1.48 U.S. dollars per liter, compared to 1.49 U.S. dollars per liter this month, fuel prices for.

This can reduce consumer spending and put further strain on lower-income households, who are the most affected by large rises in gasoline prices.

With that said, here are the 10 African countries with the highest fuel prices in August 2026 according to data from GlobalPetrolprices.

Written and edited by the Pearl Hundred newsroom.